This has been bugging me for a long time and I really need to say it. I'm thinking about what Tim DeChristopher said about how alone we're a little finger that can be easily broken but together we make a mighty FIST. I'm thinking about how we're kept separate with lies and propaganda so people can't see what's going on. For example, people talk about how much we spend to help poor people and don't even give a thought to how much we give corporations or how much we pay our supposed 'representatives.'
(Representatives? Yeah, right. They certainly don't represent me. I can't think of anything any of them have done in recent years from which I benefited. No, they only represent rich people and corporations who can afford to 'lobby' to make laws to benefit them and to keep us down. HINT: Look up who contributed to your representative's campaign. Follow the money.)
West Virginia is one of the most, if not THE most, corrupt state government in this nation. They're willing to let our mountains be destroyed and our people poisoned and kept in poverty. Wonder what it is that makes them so supportive of the coal companies? It's not like the state actually benefits from the coal being extracted and shipped off to other places: the profits are spent in other states. As our alleged representatives, shouldn't they be acting in OUR best interests? If Rahall or Rockefeller or Manchin had to live down the mountain from a mountaintop removal site, I bet they'd change their song real quick when their water is in poisoned, their risk of cancer increased, and their kids and grandkids born with birth defects. But, no, they're rich so they don't have to worry about it.
It's like Robert Kennedy, Jr said recently: ""If you tried to blow up a mountain in the Berkshires or the Adirondacks or California, you would be put in jail." So true. We ignorant "inbred hillbillies" are expendable. The Appalachian people are being sacrificed so the rest of the country can 'keep their lights on.'
They pit us against each other so we don't realize who is the real enemy. They keep us scared of each other. Old, young, Black, White, Mexican, immigrants, men, women, gay, straight, coal miners, environmentalists, poor people... those aren't my enemies. Not necessarily. Not if they're willing to sit down with me and find a solution. My enemy is the one who works against me and has the power to limit my freedom.
Liberals think conservatives are their enemy and conservatives think liberals are their enemy. This is how they keep us down and it breaks my heart that people don't see it. Everyone thinks his or her agenda is the only one that could be correct and they don't see that others have a legitimate reason for disagreeing. People need to be willing to set aside their prejudices and preconceived notions so we can communicate honestly and try to find common ground. Angry words and name-calling haven't worked so far. Let's try something else.
I said this very thing not too long ago on a forum to someone who was railing against those of us who are against mountaintop removal. I said that each side had some good points and that we should be able to sit down and work something out. To which he replied that he wasn't going to work with any "dirty hippies". Gee, that's a helpful attitude. Some people just like to wallow in their ignorance. Willful ignorance is something I hate probably more than anything else. There is no excuse for remaining ignorant when information is available to you. There is no excuse to keep a battle going when your opponent is asking to sit down with you and work out a solution.
If you don't agree with someone, stop and realize that they're probably not out to hurt you. Maybe they don't know the harm they might cause. Maybe they're willing to listen. Stop and consider why they believe as they do.
Okay, guess that's my rant for today. Why do I care about this stuff? Because I cannot do otherwise. Now that I know, I can't go back.
Earthchild has spoken. Thanks for listening.
